Over a 2-year period, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in conjunction with the Girl Power and You! Coalition, sponsored nationwide focus groups to examine the beliefs of adolescents, especially African American girls, on diet, health, and physical activity. The results of this phase I research will provide the structural foundation upon which the Girl Power and You! program will be developed in phase II.

The FDA established the Girl Power and You! Coalition in 1997. In a joint effort with the USDA, coordinators of the program plan to design relevant materials for young adolescent girls and boys, especially African American girls aged 11-14, that will empower them to make informed food choices in a variety of settings. The educational materials will also encourage adolescents to increase their physical activity levels.

After-school programs are the primary target for the Girl Power and You! initiative. Because after-school programs provide services to both girls and boys, the materials will be designed to encourage participation from both genders, which expands the program's initial focus.

The FDA's focus groups consisted of six groups of African American girls from four locations: Chicago, IL; West Palm Beach, FL; Los Angeles, CA; and Calverton, MD. Results from these focus groups were compared to the findings from 1997 focus groups of Caucasian and African American girls and boys held in Washington, DC, and Richmond, VA, and with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's 1999 focus groups for the same target audience.

Overall, the 1998 groups closely reflect the beliefs and opinions found in the focus groups held in 1997. Issues addressed during the focus groups include: the relationship between television viewing and snacking, food preparation and food safety, health consequences of obesity and overweight, and using the Nutrition Facts Label for weight maintenance. Based on the results of the focus groups, the FDA and USDA are beginning to develop a Leaders' Guide and related program materials.

For more information on Girl Power and You!, contact Naomi Kulakow, FDA Coordinator, at (202) 205-8682, nkk@bangate.fda.gov; or Elaine McLaughlin, USDA Coordinator, at (703) 305-2554, Elaine.Mclaughlin@fns.usda.gov.

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